Equivalent Exchange Challenge 2
by Kitsanken
Summary: Beginning Line Is alchemy all you think about? Winry cried. Ending Line The act of such a simple kiss told her everything about him. ONESHOT EdXWin


**Full Metal Alchemist Fanfiction**

_Full Metal Alchemist © HIROMU ARAKAWA/SQUARE ENIX, MBS, ANX, BONES, Dentsu, CARTOON NETWORK (A Time Warner Company), ADULT SWIM, FUNimation Productions, Ltd._

_All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale._

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**Equivalent Exchange Challenge **

**By: Chiruken**

**#2**

**6/13/05**

"Is alchemy all you think about?" Winry cried.

Of course, he wanted to deny it. To tell her that no, it wasn't all he thought about. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her that lately he been driven to distraction with thoughts of silken hair and sparkling eyes, satin smooth skin and the scent of grease…thoughts of _her_. Her smile, her tears, her laughter, her anger. All of it. Every aspect that was Winry Rockbell filled his waking thoughts and dream-filled nights. He'd find himself thinking of her at the most inopportune times, times when he couldn't afford to be distracted.

Instead of answering, he turned away and started walking. Each step that took him away from her was unbearable, but bear it he would. He could hear her sharp intake of breath, the waver in her breathing and knew that if he were to look back he'd see her crying. He hated to see Winry cry. It broke his heart to see her eyes filled with tears, tore at his soul to know that once again he was the cause of her pain. When he heard her sniffle his resolve nearly shattered.

"Don't you walk away from me, Edward Elric!" Her voice was choked with the tears he couldn't see and cracked at the end of his name.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to keep walking, to not turn around and rush back to her. If he stopped now, he'd take her in his arms and never let go, consequences be damned. But he couldn't do that…he couldn't do that to her. If only things were different…if only he wasn't a sinner with scarred body and soul. If things were different, if he were a different man, if he didn't have his past constantly chasing him, if he didn't have this horrible guilt weighing so heavily upon him…things might be different.

But he wasn't a different man. He was Edward Elric, Full Metal Alchemist, Dog of the Military, and the single person responsible for his younger brother's soul being trapped in an old suit of armor. Until he found a way to restore his brother to his own body he couldn't let himself enjoy even a brief moment of the joy he knew Winry could bring him. Even then he wasn't certain if he was deserving of happiness. He'd crossed into the forbidden territory when he'd attempted…and failed…the unforgivable sin of human transmutation. He'd carry the guilt and the shame for the rest of his days…and he couldn't ask anyone to bear the same burden as he did. Especially not Winry.

"Why!" Her anguished cry tore through him.

He closed his eyes briefly, waging an inner battle with himself. "Because…" He whispered, barely a breath of air passing his lips. "Because I love you." He finished even softer than he'd begun. His eyes opened, revealing infinite sorrow as he forced himself to keep moving, to keep walking away from her. _I'm sorry, Winry…but this is the way it has to be._

He had no illusions as to what faced him once he reached Central. What puzzled him was why he'd stopped in Rizenbul on the way there. Time was short and he couldn't afford to delay his journey any further. And knowing this, he couldn't shake the feeling of doom hanging above him, that somehow this trip to Central would completely change the course of his destiny. Slowly, his steps faltered until he halted completely. Standing with the cool wind blowing passed him, bringing the sharp scent of rain, he paused for a moment before turning abruptly.

Swiftly closing the distance separating them, he cursed his own weakness, yet was powerless to not follow the yearnings of his heart. Halting before her, he reached up and gently cupped her cheek with his right hand…the auto-mail she'd spent so much time creating specifically for him. His lips curved up into a small, bittersweet smile. "Goodbye, Winry…" He murmured softly before leaning forward…

**† ∞ †**

It had been two years since Alphonse Elric had returned to Rizenbul and promptly departed again to study alchemy. Two years since Ed had disappeared without a trace. Two years of wondering, wishing, and hoping.

Hugging her arms around herself tighter, Winry shivered from the damp cold that seemed to be seeping into her very bones. Feeling a soft weight descend upon her shoulders, she blinked in surprise and looked up, her hands coming up automatically to clutch the soft fabric draped over her. She smiled up into the tense features of the man standing near her, Brigadier General Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. She had to admit that even with the patch covering his one eye he was still a very handsome man, even if he did choose to conceal his emotions behind a bland mask of indifference most of the time.

"Thank you." She murmured softly, snuggling further into the warmth of his coat and turning her gaze forward again. Her smile faded as she nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously. "Will this really work?" She asked softly.

Not surprisingly, he didn't answer. He was, after all, a man of few words…unless he happened to be trying to pick a fight with one of the Elric brothers. She shook her head with a wry grin. Al had grown to be even more like Ed since their separation. It was almost uncanny. He was still the sweet boy she'd grown up with, but now there was a certain edge to him that was undeniable. She understood that a lot of it was caused by the uncertainty he was plagued with. After all, he couldn't remember the four years he'd spent as a soul trapped in armor.

Feeling a presence suddenly appear at her other side she turned and looked down. She was still a bit uncertain as to Wrath's intentions, but the boy…no, homunculus…had returned on his own the year before. He'd been quiet, yet helpful around the house and soon displayed an amazing talent for mechanics. It hadn't taken long before she'd taken him on as her apprentice, teaching him everything she could about auto-mail.

She hesitated for only a moment before placing her arm across his shoulders and squeezing lightly in reassurance. He still had moments of darkness and she doubted he'd ever be able to put his past behind completely him, but she knew that he was trying. She understood that it wasn't easy for him, especially since his limbs had been taken in such a horrible way. Whenever she looked at him, she was reminded sharply of Ed. She'd fitted Wrath with auto-mail to replace his right arm and left leg after Major Armstrong had found him and brought him to Rizenbul along with Rose and her baby.

After a moment of hesitation, Wrath placed his arm around her waist and looked up at her with a smile. "Don't worry. It'll work out." He looked forward again and said no more.

She, too, turned her attention back to the circle of stones where Al was busy with the final preparations. She couldn't begin to understand what all the intricate symbols could possibly mean and she wasn't about to ask. She had a feeling she really didn't want to know. Once again she bit her lip, anxiety swirling through her. When Al took his place in the center of the transmutation circle, she found herself holding her breath and silently praying. _Oh please…please…Ed, come back to us…_ She closed her eyes against the brightness of the light emanating from the circle. _Come back to me!_

The next instant chaos erupted. She felt Wrath grab her hand and drag her away from the transmutation circle, shouting something about it being too dangerous and having to move further away. She couldn't really tell since his words were being muffled by explosions and the roar of…_something_. She started to slow her steps and turn back to see what was happening…what had happened to Al…when the homunculus jerked on her hand, urging her to run faster. Then, running was no longer an option as the earth shook with enough force to throw her off her feet to land on top of Wrath in a tangled pile of limbs of flesh and auto-mail.

The subsequent silence was deafening. All she could hear was Wrath's heavy breathing and her own as she lay half on top of him. Her heart thudded in her chest almost painfully as she slowly opened her eyes when the scent of smoke drifted to her on a breeze. "Fire…" She whispered and grimaced as she got a mouthful of black hair. Spluttering, she fought to disentangle herself from their tangled limbs as he grunted in pain she her knee jammed into his back. "Sorry…" She muttered before finally freeing herself and rolling over. She stared upwards through the slight drizzle at the flames licked against the trees, steam rising to mix with the smoke hanging in the sky overhead. "Wh-what happened?" Quickly she sat up, her gaze flying instantly to where she'd last seen Al. "Al?" She called softly, and then repeated it a little louder when there was no answer.

Standing slowly on shaking legs, she took a step closer to the smoke and steam shrouded circle, squinting to see through the haze. _Is that…_ She held her breath as she thought she saw a figure moving behind the vapor. She blinked as her eyes stung and watered from smoke blowing in her direction. When she looked again, there were two, not one, distinct figures outlined by the orange flames through the cloud of smoke hanging over the area. Slowly, she began to move forward, hesitant lest her eyes be playing tricks on her mind, her heart conjuring what she so desperately wished to see.

The wind blew again, more forcefully, clearing more of the smoke away and revealing, finally, the two people standing in the center of the transmutation circle and blackened ring of stone. Eyes widening and filling with tears, she dashed forward, arms outstretched. "Ed!" One of the figures slowly turned towards her. He'd changed over the years, gotten taller, and he now wore his hair differently and the clothing he wore was strange, but it was Edward Elric, of that she had no doubt. Throwing caution to the winds, she threw herself forward, into his arms, knowing with certainty that he'd catch her. She had so many things to tell him, so many questions to ask him, but the first thing that came to her lips…was definitely not what she wanted to say upon seeing him for the first time in two years. "Is alchemy all you think about?" Not surprisingly, he didn't answer. Instead, he drew her closer and kissed her.

The act of such a simple kiss told her everything about him.

**† ∞ †**

**_End_**

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